Wireless technology has completely changed the way we function daily. We rely on it to get directions to places, communicate on various platforms with other people from across the world, and access an entire database of information. This technology does have its pros and cons, as it has altered our perception of what’s public and private. Using the internet, wireless technology, so much of what we create can become public if we choose to make it that way. Social media, blog posts, personal websites, and content creation platforms like Youtube allow us to make nearly all of our personal information public. Everyone in the world can see it if they are searching for it. Some of our information can remain private if we keep it that way, but once it’s on the internet it’s nearly impossible to remove all traces of it. Wireless technology has made us believe that we belong in other people’s private spaces because we see so much of it publicly online. The perception is that we see someone posting online and believe we know what their life is like privately, however, in most cases their posts are altered to seem amazing when they may be the opposite. Nothing is seen as a private space anymore unless it’s truly private, off the internet, and solely discussed in person. Yudhijit Bhattacharjee stated, “Smartphones revolutionize our lives-but at what cost?” And this is something everyone should think about.

Wireless technology changes our views of public and private spaces. The advancement of technologies allows us to facilitate our daily lives. According to “Smartphones revolutionize our lives—but at what cost?” by Yudhijit Bhattacharjee, “smartphones have revolutionized our lives in ways that go well beyond how we communicate.” This is true because we rely on our mobile phones to navigate, search for datas, listen to music, watch films, etc. However, Victor Epand believes that “mobile telephony is experiencing its share of teething troubles, including concerns about environmental impact, health and safety, and, of course, the social changes being wrought by a technology which, by making us permanently contactable, is having a profound effect on our interpersonal interaction.” Even if our phones help us connect to other people on the other side of the world, there are negative impacts such as privacy. The way our virtual self is navigating through social media, privacy is rare. 

The creation of wireless technology has not only change how we think but it also changed society as a whole when it comes to interpersonal connections and skills. The creation of wireless technology such as smart phones, smart tv, apple watches, wireless headphones etc. would not have been possible without Wi-Fi. Wi-Fi was the start of a technological revolution in this country. In today’s society everything is nearly connected to Wi-Fi even one’s own cable services comes with Wi-Fi for the home that can also be used outside due to several towers making it more accessible. Due to being able to access wi-fi from pretty much anywhere and having a computer for a phone people are more easily distracted with online activity compared to real life events.

In the reading of WIFI-HOG by Bruckner-Cohen he emphasized some of the issues that come along with Wi-Fi and nodes being used in public places. The issue now becomes about territory ownership with according to Brucker-Cohen. Free nodes have been found in public parks , airport terminals, libraries and schools according to Cohen, but private nodes from businesses and homes have been pouring into the streets interfering with the free public nodes, because of this it brings up the issue of who has “jurisdiction of signals is defined and who has precedence over it.” I think it was interesting the example Cohen gave so the reader could understand exactly what’s happening. He said imagine the scenario you lived on an island for threes years, but the island was still a public domain, but you had spent money and time investing in the island and someone came along and fenced off an area of the island. That is pretty much the situation happened with the nodes public and private so it really brings up the question who should have more domain over certain areas and if having ownership to only provide a specific network to locations should be considered to be made a law to stop any further disputes between organizations.

How has wireless technology changed how we think of public vs. private spaces?

People now seems to care more about their personal information on these different sites and networks and rightfully so. Theirs no guaranteed that the information they put on the web is safe from hackers. People are on there phones more so they care about what they are putting out. Are people on their phones more because of wireless technology and is that the bigger issue?

In my opinion I think about how some people cannot travel without looking at their phones constantly, at a concert, going on a plane, going to the bathroom. Wireless technology made some people really addicted to the mysteries of what is going on today in other parts of the world, what topics people are talking about, and many more. In the article, Social Impacts The Telephone And The Cell Phone Has Had On Society by Victor Epand he states, “Without doubt, mobile telephony offers enormous advantages and added convenience, greater personal security, and the ability to take advantage of ‘dead’ time to do business on the move. But the picture isn’t all rosy. Like most young technologies, mobile telephony is experiencing its share of teething troubles, including concerns about environmental impact, health and safety, and, of course, the social changes being wrought by a technology which, by making us permanently contactable, is having a profound effect on our interpersonal interaction (Epand)”. Epand expands on what I said earlier, wireless technology is having a big impact on society itself both good and bad but in this case I think they both cancel each other out in terms of which one outweighs the other.

In the article, Smartphones revolutionized our lives-but at what cost Janet Delaney states,”These benefits, however, seem to have come at a high cost to our mental and social lives. The constant connectivity and access to information that smartphones offer have made the devices something of a drug for hundreds of millions of users. Scientists are just beginning to research this phenomenon, but their studies suggest that we are becomingly increasingly distracted, spending less time in the real world and being drawn more deeply into the virtual world (Delaney).” We have so much access to information that it can hinder a person but at the end of the day it solely relies on a person’s choices. Wireless technology changed how we think about public and private places but it also changed how we function as a society.

Technology has without a doubt done incredible things for the world. I personally do not know a time without technology or wireless internet. Even if I tired to imagine a life like that, I wouldn’t be able to. I think it is safe to say that the internet runs our lives (or at least it definitely does for me).  In the article “Smartphones revolutionize our lives—but at what cost?”, Yudhijit Bhattacharjee spoke about his phone in the most spot on manner. He said “For that moment of connection, and many others like it, my phone deserves my gratitude. But the same device has become a source of relentless distraction in my life, intruding upon my attention with frightening regularity and diminishing my in-person interactions with family and friends.” Yes, cellphones have revolutionized the way we live but they have also diminished the beauty of it as well. When I think about my phone, I could go on and on about all the things that I could do with it and I could confidently say that I cannot live without it. On top of the regular cellphone aspects of being able to contact anyone from anywhere whether it is from a phone call or a text message, I can listen to music, do some online shopping, take pictures, play games, go on any and every social media platform, read a book, do my homework and the list goes on. All of this is at my fingertips no matter where I go and no matter the time but can quickly became overbearing. Bhattacharjee goes on to say, “These benefits, however, seem to have come at a high cost to our mental and social lives.” Because we are always connected, sometimes it’s hard to disconnect. I’ve be trying to work on it but when I go out to dinner, I have to instagram my food because if I don’t… did it even happen? Or going to any event and instagramming any moment of it because you “have” to. Or being around friends and family and not being able to put your phone down because you are too busy scrolling. These are all examples of how phones have taken over our social lives but it is much deeper for our mental health. The best example I could give would be back in March when COVID-19 took over, we were BOMBARDED with information. No matter what you were doing on your phone. you were getting constant information about it and that easily became overbearing, especially in a time where everyone was quarantined and the only thing we could do was sit at home and be on our phones.

As great as technology has come, I’ve come to the understanding that it is important to set up boundaries and put my phone down. It has taken over my life and although I still believe that I cannot live without it, a couple of hours a day won’t hurt.

With the invention and rise of wireless technology, it definitely changed the way we think about public and private spaces. Wireless technology revolves around the internet and without it, wireless technology would not be possible. Examples of wireless technology includes GPS, Garage Door/Motion Detection openers, wireless headphones/headsets/computer mouses, game consoles, any many more. In public spaces, there are a few places where there is public wifi where everyone can access wifi. In private places, one can use airplay on their phone to a smart TV to watch videos/something on the phone with others or by yourself. Wireless technology has changed both public and private spaces, and the upcoming rise of AI (alexa, siri, etc), who knows what can happen next.

In professor Brucker-Cohen article on his Wifi-Hog, it seemed interesting to see what that was about. According to the text, It was meant to allow traffic originating from the Wifi-Hogger’s IP address to access the network, otherwise the PVJ is switched on, blocking others from connecting to the open node. This affects public spaces because others are not allowed to use wifi from the public wifi. 

Wireless technology has created and allowed for a system of networks to be connected on a global scale like we have never seen before. Wireless technology could be considered dangerous because of the illusion of privacy. When one thinks of their smartphones and WIFI, they believe it to be solely theirs. However, this could not be far from the truth and the information stored on such devices is what makes that so. Any device, that has ever connected to the internet has now become a part of the public one way or another by means of personal data which can be easily accessible to some third parties. A smartphone can never be a private space. Another interesting matter when it comes to wireless technology and public verses private spaces can be seen in the example of given by Slashdot in their article, “Starbucks Clashes With WiFi Hobbyists Over Airwaves”. Private companies can start banking off free WIFI services by charging a monthly fee to their customers. If you are an avid Starbucks attender, between the coffee, snacks and semi-comfortable seating, paying for WIFI in exchange for a convenient workplace filled with drinks and snacks might not be such a bad idea, while the park just outside offers wireless connection for free it only has one bench that is always taken by tourists. Private companies have also been known to offer free WIFI with a time limit until they start charging you. This a way to get the ever-connected generation out the door in order to increase customer flow rates and decrease overcrowding. Private companies, that offer a public space for gathering, are now able to make money off of publicly offered WIFI. Most wouldn’t even notice. This also correlates with the matter of who can access your information once you have connected to a public WIFI domain. Your “private space” runs the risk of no longer being private.

When it comes to private and public spaces already located on the internet, Wikipedia is the first company that comes to mind. The article entitled, “Corruption, Treachery and Deceit at Wikipedia” by Wolfshead, discusses the hierarchy of what information comes to the surface in a general search. It also reminds us of how anyone at all can contribute to its pages and display inaccurate information just for the fun of it. Though Wikipedia is a private company it offers the public a space where anyone and everyone can contribute to the knowledge it holds. This can be dangerous for an eager student absorbing the knowledge left by an internet troll. I guess that’s why the majority of people question Wikipedia’s credibility. The idea behind Wikipedia didn’t take into account the power behind anonymity and how people could use that to change perspectives and ideas of truth and knowledge.

Wireless technology has changed the way we think of public and private places because it has created so many differences to the lives of many in ways that one would  have imagined back then. Wireless Technology has helped many lives run more smoothy because we can depend on it during our everyday like wether personal or public. In the article WiFi-Hog: From Reaction to Realization by Professor Jonah Brucker-Cohen it states, “Free nodes are popping up in public parks, airport terminals, libraries, schools, and other venues worldwide. In addition to sanctioned spaces for the nodes, private nodes without encryption are leaking from offices and houses onto city and rural streets.” this shows how public placed have adapted to wireless technology users to make their lives easier. But personally, I believe this feature of wireless technology being used in public places can be sketchy.

Wireless technology is a form of technology that always keeps us connected to others in the world but to many, this is a concern because you’re always in the eye of the public. As mentioned in the article ‘Social Impacts the Telephone and The Cell Phone Has Had onSociety’, by Victor Epand it states, “Without doubt, mobile telephony offers enormous advantages and added convenience, greater personal security, and the ability to take advantage of ‘dead’ time to do business on the move.”…. the social changes being wrought by a technology which, by making us permanently contactable, is having a profound effect on our interpersonal interaction.” Although we tend to focus more on the benefits of wireless technology, it is important to point out the negatives because it is just as important. The use of wireless technology in public places can cause for ones device to get hacked because you don’t know how can be in control of the wireless hotspots. We’ll need to be very careful when using our devices in public.

Question: How has wireless technology changed how we think of public vs. private spaces?

It is clear that wireless technology has really answered problems of a previous generation but also caused issues for the present generation. As stated in the article by Yudhijit Bhattacharjee, getting lost isn’t really a thing anymore. No one gets lost anymore because all one needs to do is go on google maps and find their way home. This solved an issue for the generation before the smartphone and that is great; no one now needs to spend more time than they need traveling from one place to another. But the advancement also had huge problems for the present generation. Bhattacharjee spoke about how parents are spending less and less time with their kids and that they are spending less and less time actually socializing. So in a private place like one’s home, wireless technology has distracted people from living in the moment. We can see this in paragraph eight where she sights the research of smartphones and how they might affect a conversation. She says “Those who had left their phones in another room fared the best. Those with the phones placed in front of them did the worst. But even those who had tucked their phones in their pockets were found to have diminished cognitive capacity.” In summary, when your phone is within an arm’s reach, you are more likely to be thinking about both getting the phone and about the conversation but not engaging in the conversation. 

Personally, in terms of my own private spaces, I feel incredibly disgusted and I don’t really have anyone else to blame but me. I used an app (which is now shutdown) that was called google music (or something like that) and it was basically for listening to music. One day I go into my settings on my desktop and I see everything. I see ALL of my history. The music I listened to and when and it was very detailed as well. Even though I bought the music, google was still tracking where and when i was listening to the music and what songs as well. With wireless technology, it really helped to keep me more entertained but it also made it so much easier for big tech to track me and what i am like.

Also, I don’t know if it is just me but I never really am bothered by large antenna signals. Maybe that is me living in NYC and expecting beauty to be found not in my surroundings. I look outside and everything is already ugly as hell so there I don’t really care if there is a giant 5G antenna outside. Maybe the conspiracy theorist though. I think it is an interesting strategy that these companies like starbucks really are. The people were used to having free Wi-Fi so that they could use their phones and laptops but when these companies pushed these free Wi-Fi away and made it so that others have to pay, people were basically hooked and they had a choice, either pay up large amounts of money or don’t use it at all. This is just another example of greedy corporations turning something that was cool and useful into a milk-the-cow situation. Private spaces over the air are now controlled by corporations as well.